Lifestyle

Termites – that gnawing feeling

My girlfriend and I have had our eyes on a house that’s been on the market for several months now, and a big drop in the asking price has finally inspired us to make an appointment to inspect.

The house ticks all of our boxes – great location, lots of bedrooms and living space, and big core-area block. We’re inspecting it this Saturday, and in the meantime, I’ve been reading the contract for sale.

Which brings me to our dilemma: the weep-holes in the brickwork at one end of the house are concealed by the concrete driveway. Apparently, this is a big no-no as termites can easily gain access to the frame and start eating the woodwork. The building inspection report rates the risk of termite infestation as “moderate to high”.

My questions are:

– Even though this is our dream house, is it crazy to consider purchasing a house with this kind of identified risk?
– Does anyone know whether some preventive treatment could be undertaken which could ameliorate this risk (at seller’s expense, of course!) I’m thinking some chemical barrier or treatment.
– Has anyone tried to purchase a house with a similar identified issue, and encountered difficulties with home lenders, etc?